


Don't Go That Way

by VampirePaladin



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Developing Relationship, F/F, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 20:14:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1482469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/pseuds/VampirePaladin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All it took was one conversation and a friendly warning to change the direction of fate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Go That Way

**Author's Note:**

  * For [minuseven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/minuseven/gifts).



The teacher was walking out of the classroom. Sayaka grabbed her textbook and stuffed it into her bag. She zipped it most of the way closed, not bothering with the last few inches past the corner of the bag. With her hands pressing against the desk she pivoted in the chair to face the occupant of the desk that was behind her and to her right.

“Madoka, do you want to go shopping today? I wanted to look for a new CD?”

Madoka smiled but she quickly turned her head away as she put her own books into her bag. “I’m sorry, Sayaka. I promised Mami I would help her.”

“Mami? Oh, isn’t that the name of one of the third-years? I didn’t know you had any upperclassmen friends.”

“We just met a while ago. I’m sorry, Sayaka, but I promised Mami and-“

“Don’t worry about it,” Sayaka gave a dismissive wave. “You’ll have to introduce me to her sometime. Maybe we can sing karaoke together?”

“That sounds fun. I bet Mami would like to meet you too. She doesn’t have many friends.”

Madoka and Sayaka got up from their desks, which folded up and retracted into the floor. They walked together past the other students, not really giving them much attention. A girl with braids got up from her desk in the front. She left the room just before the two, without ever bringing her face up or looking any higher than the floor. 

“See you later, Madoka.”

“Bye, Sayaka.”

They waved goodbye as they each turned a different direction. Sayaka turned toward the stairs to leave the school. Madoka turned toward the third year classrooms. Sayaka stopped and looked back over her shoulder at Madoka’s back that grew further and further away.

 

Homura walked with her head down. She just couldn’t look anyone in the eyes. All she wanted was to just sink into the ground and disappear from the world and everyone in it. There was no place in the world for a pathetic girl like her.

In her mind a sweet siren’s call started to echo out to her. It beckoned her forward and promised her oblivion. It repeated all of her self-doubts and insecurities into her mind’s ear over and over.

“Hey, transfer student,” a voiced called out from behind Homura.

Her head snapped up. What had she just been thinking? She couldn’t remember exactly what it was. Homura turned around as a classmate with short hair jogged up to her.

“H-hello, um…”

“I’m Miki Sayaka. We are in the same class.”

“Right, sorry, I forgot.”

“It’s your first day. You have a lot of new people to remember, I have just one. Anyways, you really don’t want to go that way. There is a lot of crime and have even been a bunch of suicides. It isn’t safe.”

“But it’s the only way I know how to get home.”

“Well, I could help you find a better route home as long as you don’t mind a detour.”

Homura smiled. It was a hesitant smile that she cautiously wore. “No, that is fine. I don’t mind a detour.”

Together, Homura and Sayaka walked away from where the witch lay in wait for victims, just missing the battle that in another world would have shown Homura the world of magical girls and the beginning of her friendship with Kaname Madoka.

 

“Madoka, are you busy today? Homura and I are going out to eat after school today. Do you want to join us?”

“I’m sorry, Sayaka. I have to take care of something today.”

“With Tomoe Mami, right?”

“Sorry, Sayaka,” Madoka grabbed her bag of books and rushed out of the classroom, bumping into Homura on her way out.

Homura got up from her own desk, her bag clasped between pale hands. She walked back to Sayaka’s desk with her shoes making a squeaking noise on the shiny floor. While she wasn’t exactly making eye contact with other students, she wasn’t staring down at her shoes either.

“Miss Kaname isn’t able to come today?”

“No, what about you, Hitomi?”

“I have to go to the hospital today.”

“What happened?” Sayaka asked.

“Are you alright, Miss Shizuka?”

“They think I was sleepwalking last night. I woke up in a warehouse with a group of people. None of us had any memory of how we got there. Mom wants me to go through some more tests at the hospital to make sure I’m not sick.”

“It looks like it is just you and me then, Homura.”

“Alright.”

The two walked out of the classroom together. They talked together about homework and that show that was on last night, the one everyone watched. Down the stairs they went, all the way to the first floor. The glass walls pressed in like prison cells. The front doors released them into the warm and sticky afternoon.

“Is something bothering you, Miss Miki?”

“You know, you can call me Sayaka.”

“Is something bothering you, Miss Sayaka?” The corners of Homura’s lips twitched up into a smile as she cautiously teased Sayaka.

Sayaka sighed, “I’m worried about Madoka. She goes out almost every day with Tomoe Mami. Half the time she doesn’t have her homework done. At the same time, this is the most self-confident I have ever seen her.”

Homura’s hands tightened on her bag. Her eyes flickered away from Sayaka’s face and focused on some indistinct point in the distance. “You could ask her about it.”

“I’ve already tried that!”

“Maybe she is working on a surprise for you?”

“Do you really think that?”

“You said that the two of you have been friends since you were five.” Homura kept on looking straight ahead.

“Are you jealous, Homura?”

“N-No, of course not! How can you say that?”

Sayaka laughed, “You are! You are jealous of Madoka.”

“She’s lucky to have a friend like you and she’s wasting it. If I had a known you then the months at the hospital wouldn’t have been so bad.

“Didn’t you have any friends at the hospital?”

“There was a girl named Nagisa that came to visit her mother, but she stopped coming to the hospital when her mother died.”

The two walked in silence. They stopped at an intersection. Cars zipped by with a breeze that ruffled both hair and fabric. Sayaka stepped into the street after the cars stopped but before the walk sign lit up. Homura was just a step behind her. They entered the mall together. There were people all around, going in and out of shops with arms heavy with pastel colored bags. The light fell from above, casting soft and hard shadows depending on if the light was natural or artificial. The tint of the skylights made the sky look greyer than it really was. They passed stores offering everything from the latest and greatest video games to revolutionary home gadgets that promised to do everything from giving you ore free time to improving your love life. A little ways in was the escalator. Sayaka got on, grasping one side tightly. Homura stood behind Sayaka on the escalator. Their usual restaurant was on the second floor, third door on the right.

Sayaka bought a drink and a sandwich. Homura just bought a drink. After paying for them they sat down with their trays at a small booth, on opposite sides.

“Aren’t you getting anything to eat, Homura?”

“I don’t get very much allowance.”

Sayaka frowned at that comment. She unwrapped her sandwich from its paper shrouds. It was already cute into two triangular pieces. The meat, lettuce, cheese and tomato could be seen peeking out. She held out one of them to Homura.

“Here, I wouldn’t feel right eating in front of you.”

Homura took the offered food, “Thank you.” She began to nibble at it, trying to hide how much she hated this particular type of cheese. Sayaka was trying to be nice, she didn’t want to make her feel bad.

Sayaka laughed, “If you don’t like it you can just say so. You don’t have to force yourself to eat it.”

Homura blushed bright red, “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings!”

“Hey, sorry about being moody earlier.”

“It’s alright. You are worried about Miss Kaname.”

“Thanks, Homura. You know, it is nice having a friend like you.”

 

Sayaka sat on a square green blanket inside, on all sides it was surrounded by a hard wood floor. There were countless other blankets like it. Each one held a family and what belongings they were allowed to bring with them. Outside she could hear the storm rushing all around, trying to break in and get at all the people inside. They kept on saying on the news that it was the storm of the century, the worst to ever hit Mitakihara. She flopped backwards with her head ending up on wood instead of fabric. She had a good view of the main entrance and could watch the people come in. Most of them were If not calm, hiding their fear well. There was a random crying child here and there, but most took this as some type of fun indoor camping.

Yet, with all of this happening she could only think about Hitomi and Kyousuke getting together. She had been there for him every day, both before and after the accident. Hitomi had even given her a head start in confessing her love. Sayaka had wanted to so badly, more than anything else, but she couldn’t. It didn’t feel right to confess. Since she had been unable to move, Hitomi confessed. Even though he had yelled at Sayaka and smashed the CD she brought him with his dead hand, no it was more like an undead hand, she still loved him. It seemed like he had accepted Hitomi’s feelings and the two were now dating. 

Sayaka felt so numb inside, a dull jewel waiting to shatter. In the past she would have talked with Madoka, the same Madoka that she had barely seen in the past few weeks. There was always an excuse whenever she wanted to spend time with the person that was supposedly her best friend. Almost every one of those excuses involved Tomoe Mami and the ones that didn’t were lies to cover up that Madoka was with Tomoe Mami. Sayaka was really beginning to dislike that upperclassman. The only person she had left was Homura.

Then Homura entered the shelter.

Sayaka turned herself over, pushed herself up and rose onto her sneaker clad feet. She was wearing jeans and a hoodie instead of her normal school uniform. 

“Homura,” Sayaka yelled while waving her arm.

Homura turned toward Sayaka. Her face brightened up as she waved back. She made a beeline toward Sayaka, carefully stepping around the areas for each of the families.

“Aren’t you with anyone?” Sayaka asked.

Homura shook her head, “No, it’s complicated but I’m by myself.”

“Mom, can Homura stay with us? She’s a friend from school and she got here by herself.”

Sayaka’s mother nodded her head, “I don’t see why not. It’s nice to meet you Homura.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Miki.”

Kaname Junko, the mother of Madoka, came running up to Sayaka’s family. The normally cut throat business woman was frantic. 

“Sayaka, have you seen Madoka?”

Sayaka shook her head, “I haven’t seen her. Isn’t she in here with you?” Sayaka felt like her throat was constricting.

“We were separated right after entering the building. I thought she was right behind us but I can’t find her anywhere!”

“I’ll help look for her,” Sayaka said without any hesitation.

“I’ll come with you,” said Homura.

“Don’t leave the building,” Mrs. Miki said to the two girls.

“Right,” Sayaka nodded to her mother before rushing off to look for Madoka with Homura right behind her.

Together, the two searched high and low. They asked both civilians and public safety workers. Not even the bathrooms were left unchecked, as they had a male classmate they ran into check even the boy’s bathroom. They could not find anyone who had seen Madoka since the evacuation. 

Sayaka headed toward the entrance. There was a large wall of windows and a set of steps that led the way to the doors. Everyone was supposed to stay away from the windows in case they were shattered by debris. Sayaka walked up to the window. 

“Sayaka, we aren’t supposed to go outside.”

“I know. I just thought I’d look to see if maybe she had wandered out-“

A bolt of lightning briefly illuminated the deserted streets outside. It was only for an instant, but it was more than enough time for Sayaka to see Madoka, drenched in rain, and running off with another girl. Sayaka had barely even registered that girl’s existence a month ago. Now, she knew exactly who she was. She was Tomoe Mami, the upperclassman that had been making Madoka act so strangely.

Sayaka turned toward the stairs but was stopped by Homura grabbing her hand.

“Don’t go, Sayaka. It isn’t safe.”

“Madoka is out there and she’s with that upperclassman!”

“I know. I saw it too, but if you go outside then more people will go outside looking for you. Let’s go back and tell her parents. Then people that are trained for this can go find her and bring her back.”

Sayaka wanted to fight it and run right out there after Madoka. She wanted to go save her best friend from Tomoe Mami. In her heart she knew that Homura was right. Sayaka was still standing facing toward the stairs, but she was no longer pulling on Homura and her captured arm was slack.

“Yeah, let’s go tell her parents.”

When the storm passed, with hardly any destruction to the city, the corpses of Tomoe Mami and Kaname Madoka were found.

 

Homura stood outside of Sayaka’s home. She could see the window of Sayaka’s bedroom. The window was open, but the lights were off. Her fingers twisted and untwisted the handles of her bookbag. 

Sayaka hadn’t been at school today either and she hadn’t been to the hospital lately. Homura had even been visiting Sayaka’s favorite music shop in hopes of seeing her there. She never did. 

A gentle breeze moved past Homura as she took a deep breath. Her fingers tightened until her knuckles turned white. She had made a choice and she was going to stick to it. Sayaka needed her and she was going to help her friend. All she had to do was to march up to Sayaka’s home, knock on that door, demand to see her friend and then knock some sense into her. That was all she had to do. It would be easy right? She just needed to walk up and knock on the door to start. Any minute now she was going to do it. In the end she did knock, though maybe it was softer than she intended, and she did ask to see Sayaka. It was not as assertive as she had intended, but she did it.

Sayaka’s mother was happy to see her. After switching from her school shoes to a pair of guest slippers she was led inside and to Sayaka’s room. Outside that monumental door that was at the same time insurmountable and a flimsy barrier Sayaka’s mother left her after saying how happy she was that Homura had come.

Homura lifted a hand and rapped at the door.

There was no answer.

She knocked again.

“Come in.”

Homura twisted the knob and opened the door just enough that she could look in. Sayaka was in bed covered with a comforter with only the top of her head sticking out from under it. Homura put one slipper clad foot inside and paused. There was no reaction from Sayaka. She quickly pulled the rest of her body inside and shut the door behind her without making a sound, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding until that moment.

“Hi, Sayaka, it is me Homura,” she said. Homura winced at her greeting. Of course Sayaka would know who she was once she started speaking. She had spent the entire walk over thinking of what to say and of course when it was time to talk she had forgotten all of it.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you. I’ve been worried about you.”

“I’m fine. So you can just go now.”

Homura started to turn back to the door and then she stopped. She had told herself she was going to help Sayaka and she wasn’t going to leave until she had at least tried.

“You aren’t alright, Sayaka. You haven’t been back at school since…” Since the storm.

“Go away, Homura.”

“And Miss Shizuka is worried about you, Mr. Kamijou too.”

“Why won’t you just go away!?” Sayaka yelled as she finally sat up.

“Because I’m your friend and I miss you.”

“Some friend I am, I let my best friend die because I couldn’t go out in a little rain and stop her!”

“It was more than a little rain! If you had gone out then you would have died as well!”

“I could have at least tried! Why did you stop me, Homura? If you hadn’t I could have saved her!”

Homura was shaking. It took a lot of effort to keep her legs from knocking together. “I didn’t want to lose you.”

“Sorry,” Sayaka mumbled as she looked away. Her eyes were a sea of red and even though she wasn’t crying now, the dried tear trails were still marking Sayaka’s face.

“I know I’m not Miss Kaname. I can’t replace your best friend,” she hated saying those words and being reminded of where she stood in Sayaka’s life, “but I am your friend. I want… I don’t know what I want. I want to know what to do for you. I want to help you and I’m scared about losing you.” It was so hard not to start crying.”

“Thank you, Homura. I think I just need time.”

“I’ll go now.”

“No, stay, please.”

Homura sat in the chair next to Sayaka’s bed. Sometimes they talked and sometimes they were silent. They even watched a little television together. When Sayaka cried Homura would hold her and gently stroke her hair. 

Homura hated to admit to herself that this was the happiest she had ever been.

 

Homura wore a lacy white skirt and a pastel colored top as she ran. Her short boots were carrying her as fast as they could down the harsh cement sidewalks. She pushed her body to move faster even as she was sweating and gasping for air. Running was not one of her strong points. 

Sayaka was already waiting for her at the bus stop. She was wearing tan shorts, a white button up long sleeved sweater over a blue shirt, black shoes and red socks. When she saw Homura she waved.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” gasped Homura.

“You didn’t need to run to get here.”

“I didn’t want to miss our bus.”

“We’d just have to wait a little longer for the next one.”

The bus with two levels of seats pulled up to their stop. The girls politely waited for some passengers to get off before getting on themselves. They went straight for the second, open level. Sitting next to each other as the bus harshly pulled forward, Homura finally caught her breath.

She glanced at Sayaka past the rims of her glasses. With the way the wind brushed Sayaka’s hair back Homura could easily imagine her as a white knight riding on a horse. That mental image fit Sayaka as far as Homura was concerned. Would that make Homura a princess or a wizard? Maybe she could be a princess wizard.

“What are you smiling about, Homura?” Sayaka asked.

“I was just imagining something nice.”

“Are you going to share or keep it to yourself?”

“Maybe I’ll share it later.”

They got off at the edge of the shopping district. People wandered in and out of shops. Some of them were sitting on benches and eating cheap but delicious food. Homura and Sayaka were starting at the edges and working their way inward encountering more and more people. There were shops with clothing, shops with jewelry, shops with the latest toys and even shops that appealed to otaku. 

Homura was admiring a small music box. It had multi-colored pieces of glass set into its lid and sides and played a vaguely familiar tune that she had heard somewhere but couldn’t exactly place. It was pretty and nice to admire, but far too expensive.

“An der schönen blauen Donau,” Sayaka said.

Homura spun around. “What does that mean?”

“It means ‘By the Beautiful Blue Danube’. It’s a waltz by Strauss. That’s the song the music box is playing.”

“It’s a pretty song,” Homura said as she put the music box back on the shelf.

“Aren’t you getting it?”

“No, it is pretty to look at but I don’t really want it.”

“I’m getting hungry. Do you want to go grab some takoyaki?”

“Sure.”

They walked through the sliding glass stores and took a left. Sayaka was extolling the virtues of this particular takoyaki shop. Her head was turned to look at Homura so she didn’t see the girl with long hair in a hoodie and shorts.

“Hey, watch it! You almost made me drop my food,” she barked, clutching a glass and red object that looked like a fabergé egg. 

“Sorry. Sorry,” Sayaka said as they passed by.

That would be the only encounter between Miki Sayaka and Sakura Kyoko.

 

“Are you going to tell her, Sayaka?” Hitomi asked.

“What are you talking about?” Sayaka stuffed her books into her bag as she glanced over at the empty spot that Homura normally sat at.

Hitomi sighed and pushed her hair back. The light reflected off of her silver and green ring. Sayaka didn’t know where Hitomi had gotten it from, but she seemed to be wearing it nonstop lately. She put her elbows on her desk and rested her chin in her hands.

“You can be so aggressive at some things but when it comes to telling people you care you won’t move forward.”

“I don’t have any trouble telling people that. I care about you and Homura.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it. I think Nakazawa was going to ask Homura out. You should act before him.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“If you could make a wish, one wish, anything in the world, what would it be for?”

“I don’t know. I guess that so I could live a long and happy life.”

“I like that wish, but wouldn’t it be better to live a long and happy life with someone else?”

Sayaka’s phone dinged. She pulled it out of her bag and read the text message from Homura.

“They are going to keep her in the hospital another night,” Sayaka said.

“Is it her heart?”

Sayaka nodded, “She’ll have problems with it her entire life.”

“Then why aren’t you there supporting her?”

“I don’t want to hover over her the way I did with Kamijou.”

“Sayaka, Homura wants you there. I know it.”

Sayaka stood up. “I’m going.”

“Home?”

“To the hospital.”

Hitomi smiled up at Sayaka. “Homura will be so happy to see you.”

“Thanks, Hitomi.”

 

Homura was propped up in her hospital bed. She was reading a light novel from the hospital’s gift shop. It wasn’t the best thing she had ever read, but it wasn’t that bad either. She wasn’t worried at all. When she had been released to go back to school she knew that she would have to come back every so often and occasionally stay a few days. That was alright with her, her heart condition as manageable as long as she was careful.

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Homura said. She was expecting a nurse but when the door opened she saw Sayaka in her school uniform and holding a bouquet.

“Hey there,” Sayaka said.

“Sayaka, you came,” Homura put her book aside, not even bothering with a bookmark or marking her page.

“I brought you some flowers.” Sayaka crossed the room to Homura’s bed and held them out. They were the cheapest flowers from the shop, the only ones Sayaka could afford.

“They are wonderful. Put them on the stand.” No one had ever brought Homura flowers before.

“I’m glad you like them. They are the cheapest ones they had. I mean, not that that I think that you should get only the cheapest. I just mean that-“

“It’s alright, Sayaka.”

“Sorry, I’m not the best with words. I’m better with actions.”

“Then maybe you should use actions if those work better for you?”

“I think you are right. I should just take action instead of messing up and saying the wrong thing.”

Sayaka leant in and kissed Homura on the lips.


End file.
